An important and necessary feature in iOS 10 is the ability to enable the emergency bypass to receive calls when “Do not disturb” is on. The “Do not disturb” mode is essential, but sometimes you have to bypass it for emergencies. Let us see how Apple has come up with the Emergency Bypass feature to handle this in an iOS 10.

Advantages of “Do not Disturb” Mode

The “Do not disturb” mode (or DND), as the name indicates, is a highly useful feature available in the iOS device’s ‘Settings’ app to ensure that the phone is silent and does not ring during meetings. It does not make beeping sounds to alert you about incoming messages or notifications when the iPhone is locked. You can also activate the DND mode to be activated automatically during some specific times during the day. But, this can cause you to miss out on some important calls and alerts.

The Emergency Bypass Option

The Emergency Bypass feature available in iOS 10 is used to enable sound alerts or vibrations for when particular people contact you and for whom you have enabled this feature. This feature is available as a dedicated switch for each individual contact present in ‘Contacts’ in iOS 10. When this feature is enabled, you will be alerted about calls, messages and other notifications that override the “do not disturb” mode even though it is enabled. A lot of people are not aware of the Emergency Bypass feature and the steps for enabling it, as it is a little difficult to find it and is not straightforward.

Steps for Enabling Emergency Bypass for a Specific Contact When Do Not Disturb is on in iOS 10

Step 1: You must first launch or open ‘Contacts’ on your iOS 10 iPhone.

Step 2: Next, select the contact that you want to enable the emergency bypass option for.

Step 3: Tap the ‘Edit’ option for the selected contact at the top rightmost corner.

Step 4: Now, you can see two options, ‘Ringtone’ and ‘Text’ tone. You can select the one you want depending on your preference. Tap on the Ringtone if you need to hear the call sounds even when the “Do not Disturb” is on. Instead, if you want to receive message or text notification alerts, tap the Text tone. If you want both the options enabled, you can do that too.

Step 5: Now, set the toggle near the Emergency Bypass option to ON.

That’s all you have to do. Once the steps are completed, you will receive loud and clear sound alerts and notifications from your phone when that particular person contacts you even when the “Do not disturb” mode is on.

Disabling Emergency Bypass for a Specific Contact

If you want to disable the emergency bypass option for a specific contact, then you have to repeat the steps 1 to 4 given above. Simply set the toggle near the Emergency Bypass to OFF.

So, enable this handy bypass feature in iOS 10 in order to receive calls from all your favorite callers even when the “Do Not Disturb” is on.